


Lightning and Witchcraft

by amberflurie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Female Harry Potter, Gen, Hogwarts First Year, Paganism, Victorian Flower Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:35:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27336538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberflurie/pseuds/amberflurie
Summary: If Harry Potter was Holly Potter and learned the meaning of the plant she is named for.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 198





	1. The Meaning of a Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other characters

If Harry Potter had been born Holly Potter.

The Evans family had the tradition of naming their daughters after flowers. Holly sometimes wondered what her name would have been had she been born a boy - Basil, maybe? Although she hopes that her parents were not the type of people to name her for an herb whose symbolism became love from hate.

Holly was 8 years old and attending primary school. She, of course, being of the caste of social outcast, was hiding in her usual spot at recess. Her back was pressed against the crab apple tree - youth and magic - on the edge of the playground. She liked to hide here under the hanging fruits - love and marriage - where she could take one on the days Petunia "forgot" to give her breakfast. This approach did not work every month out of the year, but it was still a nice hiding place on the edge of the yard.

One day, however, a group of students came perilously close to her spot. They had a new boy with them, whose name was Aahan. As he talked to his rapt audience, who were eager to hear about his no doubt exotic-to-Surrey background, he said,

"My name means dawn or the first ray of morning light."

Of course, after this revelation, the other kids clamored to express their excitement about this and afterward were like a dog with a bone with this naming business. All of them tried to find out what their names symbolized.

Some students went home and asked their parents, who dug out their baby names books to answer. Some enterprising student asked their parents about Dudley (most likely in the hopes of knocking him down a few rungs of the proverbial ladder since he was king bully of the playground). When Holly heard that his name meant a woodland clearing, her chest burned with holding in her laughter. Dudley was about the furthest thing from natural that you could get.

This is what spiked her interest in Victorian flower language. Holly had never been girly, but she was frequently hiding in the library anyway and the book was never checked out and she was almost desperate to know what HER name meant.

According to her research, Holly was a tree that could ward off lightning and witchcraft according to the Romans and Celts. While Holly did not believe in anything like magic, she did find it rather funny that she warded off lightning with it carved into her forehead. Perhaps that is why she survived the car crash with her parents, her innate Holly-ness made her react to the crash as if it was lightning and saved her from her parent's fate.

Other cultures thought that Holly itself had mystical powers due to its ability to stay green in the winter. Holly didn't feel particularly vibrant during the winter months, or magical. Holly wreathes were also used to ward off Evil spirits and bring good luck. She didn't think there were any evil beings pursuing her and she did not have particularly good luck because her room was a cupboard.

In the language of flowers, holly symbolized defense or protectiveness. Holly herself could see how defense represented her since Dudley was forever bullying her and she refused to be anything but defensive with him.

Holly also learned that petunias represented anger and resentment. There were a few possible alternate meanings but she felt that this resonated with her aunt the most.

She also learned that her mother, Lily, had a much nicer name. She had heard her aunt use her name derisively to talk about her mother but she didn't see how anyone with the name Lily could be like her aunt said her mother was. Virtue. Devotion. Rebirth.

Holly devoured anything she could find on the language of flowers in the library while her cousin was out hunting on the playground. After diving into flowers, she read about the gods and goddesses of cultures past since the symbolism was so often linked to them. While her other grades suffered in order to prevent Dudley from looking too moronic, she considered herself an expert in her chosen fields.

Xxx

Her wand was holly and Phoenix feather. Defense from witchcraft and lightning with a core of rebirth and infinite-ness. She pressed her fingers to her lightning scar, given by an evil mystical being, and wondered at how things she had seen as random meanings beforehand now had real reasonings based in the magical world.

Her mother had a wand made of willow. Hope. Stability. Safety. Strength.

Her father had a wand of mahogany. Strength. Safety. Protectiveness.

Holly couldn't help but feel vindicated in her analysis of her mother's name. Her mother would have lived up to it, she thought.

Xxx

Her potions and herbology books seemed to prove her theory that there were real purposes associated with the muggle myths and symbolism. She studied those books the most, her fingers itching to feel the magical plants and to create potions.

When her first potions class arrived, she felt like she might vibrate off her stool in excitement. She tried to stabilize herself so that she did not look like the bouncing maniac that was Hermione Granger.

She listened in rapt attention as the very intimidating Professor Snape described the art of potions making. She was frightened out of her gazing when he called her name,

"Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Holly's brain scrambled to provide her with an answer - wormwood was a plant that represented bitterness and asphodel was something to do with death as far as she remembered so she answered, looking up into his eyes,

"I'm not sure, sir. Maybe something to do with death?"

Professor Snape faltered, eyeing her suspiciously as if she should not have known how to answer the question. He gathered himself quickly, turning away to target Ron Weasley who she had met on the train. For the rest of the class, he seemed to ignore her outright, which she supposed was fine.

After dinner that day, she checked her flower language book (stolen from the library, but in her defense no one else used it), to see if the plants lined up with the meanings she expected them to. As she researched she felt a suspicion settle in her gut.

Asphodel added to wormwood. Asphodel, of the lily family, meaning "my regrets follow you to the grave." Wormwood, meaning, bitterness. Combined they could be understood as bitterly regretting Lily's death. She had a prodding feeling that he was giving a message. Why else would be single her out so quickly? But the message did not make sense with how he acted since he acted as if he loathed her very existence. So he regretted her mother's death but he hated her? It did not make sense, but Holly was nothing if not stubborn and was determined to get to the bottom of this.

Xxx

At breakfast the next week, Holly sat nervously jiggling her leg. She kept glancing up at the head table to where Snape was scowling into his morning tea. She saw him get up and her stomach swooped. She waited a minute before gathering her bag and her offering and walking down to the dungeons. She kept to the shadows, trying to avoid being seen walking with a bunch of flowers.

As she got to the potions classroom her heart was beating so fast and hard she thought it might actually be audible to those outside her body. She wiped her sweaty hand on her robe and raised it to knock on his door. She held the flowers behind her back.

"Enter", he called from inside

As she walked in, he glanced up, his face shuttering as he saw her.

"Potter. What do you want?, he snarled.

Her hands shaking behind her, she approached his desk.

"Professor. Do you remember the first question you asked me during our lesson?" she asked.

"Is there a point to that query? I believe I gave the answer in class if you were actually listening?" he said, eyebrow raised.

She took a deep breath and brought the white lilies out from behind her back, her stomach clenching with the risk she was taking. She watched his face turn pained and haunted as he saw them and she knew she had assumed correctly.

"I've been interested in the language of flowers for a few years. When you asked that question I looked them up to make sure I had the meaning correct and I think that you meant to say that you regret the death of my mother. I'm not sure why, I don't know anything about my parents, but I'm sorry for whatever you regret." She rushed out.

She placed the lilies on his desk and darted out of the room before she could lose points, leaving Snape to stare at the bunch of flowers on his desk, his chest aching with the grief that crawled up his body and lodged in his throat. He had expected a copy of Potter inside and out, but instead, he got a potter-like Lily. Kind and considerate and observant. He held his face in his hands, wondering how he could ever dredge up enough resentment for the girl after this.

On his desk, lay several white lilies. Rebirth. Hope. A flower of grief for someone who died young. Renewal.


	2. The Next Monday

Severus had never considered himself a man who wore his emotions on his sleeve, but as he walked to breakfast on Monday morning, he glanced paranoidly around himself, sure that every passing student could see his thoughts written across his face. 

It had been a week since Hol- Potter had ripped his heart open and left it bleeding in his chest. He had spent last Friday’s potions class pretending she did not exist, refusing to meet her verdant and hopeful eyes. He then spent the whole weekend following that class, not exiting his quarters, alternating between drinking firewhiskey and berating himself for his weakness, or sometimes both at once. Now it was Monday, and Albus was sure to come looking for him if he did not show his scowling face at breakfast in the Great Hall. He could get away with hiding on weekends when there were no Quidditch games, but he could not risk that meddling man showing up in his quarters and seeing his painstakingly displayed vase of white lilies on his coffee table. He had been tempted several times this weekend to toss them into the fire and go back to hating Potter peacefully, but every time his hand twitched towards them, he remembered Lily, flower blooming in her palm, age 9, and he withdrew. 

Of course, he was well familiar with the Victorian flower language. Years spent at Lily’s side, years spent without her, and years spent as a potion’s master made it impossible not to. But he had not expected the girl-who-lived to be able to recognize it! He was trying to repent, and she had to go and understand it. It was unfathomable and untenable and also, unbecoming of his reputation. 

He scowled as he stalked out of the dungeons. Two Hufflepuff second years looked at his face fearfully as he passed and flattened themselves against the opposite stone wall. If he wasn’t so off-kilter he would have found it amusing.

Severus walked into the Great Hall, black robes billowing behind him and he took his usual seat at the Head Table. That blithering idiot Quirrell was already there because of course the universe hated him and wanted to subject him to glaring inadequacy before he even had a cup of tea. 

Quirrell glanced up warily as he sat down and stuttered “G-good m-morning s-s-Seve-r-rus.”

Severus’s left eye twitched in annoyance at the stutter that definitely had not existed prior to this year and he glared in Quirrell’s general direction, making the other look down at his plate quickly thank god. 

Albus however, had no such sense of self-preservation and gaily asked, “Severus, my boy, how are you this fine morning?”

Severus was sure his eye would be permanently twitching all morning at this rate. The Headmaster had Quirrell and Minerva in between them and had to call loudly to ask his question. He gritted his teeth and growled out a “Fine, Headmaster.” 

Minerva raised an eyebrow at his response that was even more acerbic than usual. He actually liked Minerva, but there were moments like this where he was back in his first year, being looked at like a misbehaving child. She somehow managed to sip her tea with her eyebrow raised, no doubt examining his less than stellar appearance. He was sure there were dark circles under his eyes, and he had been so tempted to tie his greasy hair back this morning just to get it out of the bloody way, but he knew the students would have conniptions if he did so. 

“Are you alright, Severus? You seem even more pleasant than usual today.”, she asked snidely. 

He again answered this greeting with a glare. Stuffing a last piece of toast into his mouth and downing his tea, he rose from the table, ignoring her no doubt concerned look from behind his back. 

As he swooped down from the head table, his eyes tracked across the hall. His snakes were the quietest and well-behaved table, manners hammered into them from the cradle. Most Ravenclaws talked quietly or read a book as they ate their breakfast. The Hufflepuffs were more awake – bright-eyed and bushy-tailed badgers that they were – and chatting happily with each other. The Gryffindors, however, was an amalgamation of students running late to class, yelling across the table at each other, completing last-minute homework, or staring bleary-eyed at their breakfast. One Gryffindor in particular sat with her first-year dormmates as she ate her eggs. As he passed Holl – POTTER, she glanced up and met his gaze, her eyes darting away quickly when she saw his glare. 

His heart clenched in his chest when she looked down and away from him and he fought with himself over the idea that had come to him that past weekend. His feet, however, knew what he wanted, and he walked quickly through the doors to the outside, cutting across to the greenhouses. He knew where all of the plants and flowers were since he had a deal with Pomona that involved him being able to gather ingredients from the school supplies when he needed to do so. 

He berated himself for his sentimentality as he gathered the plants that he needed, praying that Albus had not followed him out here or he would not hear the end of it once he figured out what he was doing. He had spent the last few years months complaining about the coming Potter girl and how she would be just like her father and would be so entitled and spoiled, forgetting that she would also be the daughter of his once dearest friend. 

He finished his task and walked briskly back into the castle, disillusioning the bouquet in his hand as he did. The students were filing out of the Great Hall from breakfast, but they scattered quickly when they saw him coming. He continued on down to his office where he tied the bouquet together. Then he called for his personal house-elf, Tilly, who popped into existence in front of his desk. 

“Tilly, can you take these to the dorm of Miss Potter and place them in a vase next to her bed?” he asked. 

Tilly bounced on her feet in excitement, responding “Tilly can be doing so Master Severus!” She took the flowers delicately in her hand and popped away from his office. 

He sunk down into the chair behind his desk, laying his head back so his neck rested against the top of the chair and his hair spilled over the back of it. He stared at the stained stone ceiling and thought about what a bloody sentimental fool he was being. She was Potter’s daughter. She would no doubt figure out some way to use this against him and humiliate him as her father did before her. He felt like banging his head on his desk to try to knock some sense into himself but decided against it since Monday morning NEWT classes were hard enough to handle without a headache. He rose from his chair and walked to his classroom and tried not to think about his impending doom once Holly found the flowers in her dorm.


	3. Understanding

Holly sat in Transfiguration on Monday morning, next to her Gryffindor dorm mates Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. They had both been unfailingly nice to her if a little desperate to show her “how to be a proper girl.” Lavender had let her borrow her owl order catalog for Mystic Jewelers in Diagon Alley, which she was very grateful for. 

Mystic Jewelers allowed for the witch or wizard to order any type of beads they could ever want. Any wood, metal, gem, clay, or even animal bone they could think of could be turned into a bracelet. She had used her owl, Hedwig – Patron Saint of Orphans – to send off an order to them last week. The beads had been deposited by owl in front of her breakfast plate on Saturday morning and she spent the next few hours stringing them together into bracelets. 

On Sunday, her left wrist had two new bracelets on it. One had beads of dark mahogany and the other was a string of willow beads. They rested comfortably against her pulse point and she felt stronger with them there. She had been surprised when the hat conceded to her desperate wishes to avoid Slytherin and had put her in Gryffindor. She did not think she was a particularly brave person but maybe that hat understood the meaning of her name as well and saw that she had a future as a protective warrior. 

She ached to meet her parents but at least she could lean on their chosen woods for comfort and protection. It was an added bonus that she could picture Aunt Petunia’s face when she saw the beads, she would probably call her a dirty hippy. 

Holly had not been allowed to own anything much for herself before Hogwarts. She had the secondhand clothes that Aunt Petunia grudgingly bought for her, only because she was too small to wear Dudley’s tarp-sized clothing. But jewelry, she had definitely never owned before. 

She had been caught once trying on Aunt Petunia’s pearls. They were always lovingly displayed in a velvet box on her dressing table and only ever taken out for special company parties and dinners that Uncle Vernon needed to attend. The pearls had been Petunia’s mother’s, her grandmother’s. But of course, she was not allowed anywhere near them. Aunt Petunia had requested she clean the bathroom one day and then had gone to tea with some of the other gossipy wives in the neighborhood. This was a frequent occurrence, usually preceded by a warning not to touch anything or meal deprivation was in her future. However, she was only 9, and faced with the pearls one room away she had given in to the desire and entered her Aunt and Uncle’s bedroom. 

Once inside their room, she had walked towards the dressing table on tiptoes, despite there being no one else in the house. She had learned years ago that pretending she did not exist was the most beneficial route to take with the Dursleys. As she reached the table, she had glanced in the mirror above it, examining her reflection like she normally did not have time to do. Her fair was black and wavy, falling down to below her shoulders and her eyes were a bright and brilliant green, drawing attention away from the lightning bolt scar that rested on her forehead. Her skin was frighteningly pale, probably from living in a cupboard. 

She had opened in the velvet box, caressing the pearls with her fingertips, before lifting it from its resting place. She had clasped the string around her neck and looked in the mirror again, admiring the way they wrapped around her throat. She did not get much of a chance to look pretty and she was suddenly full of longing for her mother. Even if her mother was a drunk or a whore or whatever else Aunt Petunia called her, she wished she had a mother to show her how to wear pearls and do her hair and talk about boys with. She had been so distracted with the sudden heartache that she did not hear Aunt Petunia come in and march up the stairs to her bedroom. When Aunt Petunia had opened the door, she had looked up in fear, meeting her Aunt’s enraged gaze in the mirror. Aunt Petunia had practically flown across the room in her rage, demanding she take off the necklace at once. She had been slapped across the face and put in her cupboard for the rest of the weekend. 

After that, Holly never went near her Aunt’s jewelry again. But now she was at Hogwarts and she could wear whatever she liked without her Aunt’s sour face looking at her. She could borrow Lavender’s lip gloss and Parvati’s hair clip and Petunia would never know. Her other roommate, Hermione, had turned up her nose when she tried to invite her to join them when they discussed these things. Hermione seemed like someone who thought she was better than everyone else, so Holly was hesitant to reach out to her after being scorned for wearing a hairclip because really it was just a hairclip. 

Anyway, Holly had now developed the habit of brushing her thumb against the beads frequently. She listened as Professor McGonagall taught them the basics of transfiguration and tried to focus on the lecture. She was determined to do well in this new world of magic, prove she was smarter than her relatives said she was. 

After class, she joined Lavender and Parvati in walking back to their common room, since they had some free time before lunch. They chatted happily about the lesson until they entered the common room where they settled at a table near one of the windows. Holly excused herself to go and grab her charms book from the dorm so that she could review the reading before their class in the afternoon. She climbed the stairs to the first-year girls’ dorm and entered only to stop in her tracks when she saw the bouquet on the nightstand next to her bed. 

In a vase, there were white tulips and hydrangeas. White tulips were typically used to show worthiness or to demonstrate that someone is seeking forgiveness. The hydrangea, however, was used to display gratitude for being understood. Holly hesitantly approached the flowers and examined them closer. She felt a warm glow in her stomach when she considered that Professor Snape had understood the lilies that she had given him and had returned the favor. She had been afraid he would target her in class last Friday, but he had seemed to be pretending that she not exist.   
She shot one more look at the flowers before grabbing her book and walking back down to meet her new friends. 

Lavender looked up when she sat down “Alright, Holly?” she asked. 

Holly smiled “Yeah, just thinking. Did you guys want to start the Charms reading?” 

“Sure,” Parvati smiled, “My Baba said that Charms was his favorite subject in school, so I really want do well in it.” 

Holly did not understand why Hermione looked down on Lavender and Parvati, they were both smart and capable in their own right. They just did not have their nose in a book all the time. 

The three of them settled in to do the reading before their class, only getting up when it was time for lunch. The walk down to the Great Hall was cheerful, and her two companions did an admirable job of buffering her from the stares of other students who were still caught up in the novelty of going to school with the girl-who-lived. 

When they reached the hall, they took seats together, close to a few of the other girls that they had become friendly with. Katie Bell was a chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and had taken Holly under her wing once she made the team. Angeline Johnson and Alicia Spinnet were in their third year and also on the team, and they too had taken on the role of honorary big sister for Holly and her friends. Holly was grateful to have more friends and to have friends who protected her from people staring at her, made sure she got enough to eat, and that she had a basic primer on the magical world. All three of the older girls were very kind and welcoming to her and Lavender and Parvati and they had taken to eating meals with them frequently. 

As the rest of the girls settled into chatting about their classes, Holly looked around the Great Hall, her eyes finally resting on the exhausted-looking Potion’s Master at the head table. No doubt feeling her eyes on him, he looked up from where he appeared to be stabbing his chicken on his plate and met her eyes. She looked hesitantly back at him and smiled shyly. His eyes warmed a bit from their previous bitter coldness, and he gave her a barely perceptible nod. As he looked away, she felt giddy that he did not seem to hate her anymore and that maybe now she had a connection to her mother. Her attention was called back to the conversation the other girls were having about useful charms, but she felt happy for the rest of the day.


	4. Mabon

When Holly was spending her recesses in the library in primary school, one of the books she read was about Celtic mythology and the druids. When she came to Hogwarts, she learned that the witches and wizards all used to celebrate the different pagan holidays, but it had fallen a bit out of style. The practice was now seen as rather dark and many British wizards and witches were scared out of their wits by anything even slightly “dark”. Holly did not know any of this until Parvati told her about the magical holidays. Parvati’s family had only immigrated from India in the last few decades, where celebrating the old Celtic holidays were not considered dark. 

“There are a lot of similarities between the Celtic traditions and Hindu mythology.” Parvati told her one night while they were sitting cross-legged in between their beds with Lavender. “A lot of similar stories and ideas and words even. Witches and Wizards are a little different from muggle Hindus since almost everywhere in the world celebrates some sort of Wheel of the Year. However, there are some parts of the celebrations that involve sacrifices. No, not of people Lavender! But sometimes blood or sentimental items or food. Any magic that involves sacrifice has been labeled as dark in Britain, so the holidays are not celebrated openly anymore, especially so soon after You-Know-Who fell. They cannot ban them since we as wizards still answer to the Crown and freedom of religion is still a thing, but they do heavily discourage them, and you can be really ostracized if you’re caught performing any sort of ritual for the holidays.” She finished, looking down at her hands that were clasped in her lap. 

Lavender was a pureblood, but her family was really opposed to any sort of dark magic and she had grown up hearing the holidays being vilified by her relatives. She now looked stricken as Parvati completed her impromptu speech and seemed to be reconsidering her ideas. 

Holly was saddened to hear about the bigotry of the wizarding world but not surprised. She had grown up with the worst sort of people and she had heard every racist or sexist statement under the sun about other muggles. 

“That’s awful, Parvati. Are you still going to celebrate it here at school? Holly asked. 

Parvati looked nervous and said “I heard from an older student, the daughter of one of my parent’s friends, that there are secret celebrations out in a clearing in the forbidden forest. It’s sort of an open secret amongst those of us who still celebrate the holidays, but we still have to be really careful about it.”

“Can I come with you; do you think? Holly asked. She could practically feel her body aching at the possibility of experiencing more of this culture that had been taken from her when she was left at the Dursleys. 

Parvati looked surprised, but then hesitantly pleased. “Of course, Holly. There will be other students there though and sometimes even teachers. They won’t say anything about seeing you there if you keep it to yourself as well.”

Holly nodded eagerly, excited at the prospect. 

Lavender still looked like her life had been overturned on its head. “Could I come see what it’s about, too? I feel like I missed this huge part of being a witch because of my family not participating in the celebrations but I would really like to see what it's like.”

Parvati nodded happily, “Of course, Lav, I really think you’ll love it, don’t worry.”

Xxx

Mabon was the holiday of the autumnal equinox, which fell on September 23rd that year, a Monday. On Sunday night, Holly and Lavender followed Parvati and her sister Padma down towards the Entrance Hall. In the hall was a witch with Ravenclaw robes who was definitely older than them. 

“Hello, Maryam!” Padma said and Parvati echoed her greeting. 

Maryam smiled when she saw them, dimples appearing in her light brown cheeks. “Hello. I see you brought some friends with you.”

Lavender stepped forward, “Lavender Brown.”

“Holly Potter.” she said, already dreading the reaction. However, Maryam’s eyes just flicked quickly to her forehead and then came back down to meet her eyes. 

“Nice to meet you.” She said. “Is this your first Mabon celebration?” Holly and Lavender both nodded. “Alright, well welcome. Follow me, we’re going across the grounds to get to the forest. The clearing is very close to the edge.”

The first-year girls walked with Maryam towards the forest, late September air chilling their cheeks. Ahead of them, Holly could see other students entering the edge of the forest and she wondered who they were. When they finally reached the forest, Holly could almost feel the magic of the place calling out to her. She could breathe easier near the plants and animals like she had below the crab apple tree. As they reached the clearing, Holly looked around at the faces near her, shining in the magical glowing orbs that hovered above them. Most of the students there she did not know yet, but she recognized all of the Slytherins in her year, most of the Ravenclaws, and two Hufflepuffs. There were no other first-year Gryffindors besides Holly and her friends. There were not many Gryffindors at all actually. 

Holly was surprised to see a few of her professors in the clearing as well. Professor Flitwick stood with a few of his older Ravenclaw students close by. There was another professor she did not recognize who must teach one of the electives. Professor Sinistra, her astronomy teacher was also there. And standing with a few older Slytherins was Professor Snape. 

Holly examined Professor Snape from where she stood with her friends. He still looked tired, but he also looked more relaxed out here in the forest. Holly wondered if he felt like she did when surrounded by plants. If he could feel the magic that was here in the forest, feel its pulse through the soles of his shoes like she did. She wondered if he came here as a student and if he brought her mother here. 

Maryam turned toward Holly and Lavender and said “Mabon is the second harvest festival and it is the last of the eight holidays on the Wheel. We celebrate our successes and let go of our failures from the last year. We also set our intentions for the new year. When we start the bonfire at midnight, that is when we also sacrifice whatever you brought with you. Afterward, there’s a feast. Parvati told you guys what to bring right?” 

Holly nodded, fingering the herbs in her pocket. She had ordered them when she first talked to Parvati about this weeks ago. 

“Alright.” Maryam smiled. “The bonfire is just about to start so how about we find a spot in the circle.”

The other girls agreed and walked towards the stack of wood that was in the clearing. Other students and the teachers also gathered around it. Holly made eye contact with Draco Malfoy across the clearing, who looked as if he was seeing her for the first time. She nodded at him shyly, which he returned with a tilt of his head and furrow of his brow. She glanced up from Draco and met the black eyes of Professor Snape. He looked surprised to see her there, but he did not glare as he used to when he saw her. Instead, he nodded at her as well, which she returned with a smile that made his lips twitch up at the corners. 

The oldest person was the one who typically started the ritual, and today that was the professor whose class she did not know. The woman raised her wand and said “On Mabon, we ask the gods and goddesses to bless us as they have in the past year. We ask that the fire strengthen our resolve and cleanse our mistakes.” When she finished, the other students who knew the spell raised their wands as well and said “Incendio.”

The fire poured out of all of the wands, coalescing into a single inferno in the center of their circle. Holly felt the magic tingle on her skin, brushing up against her very being. 

The professor continued. “I give sage so that I may have wisdom in the new year.” She then tossed a bundle of sage she held in her hand into the fire, which rose with its new addition. Holly marveled at the magic this involved, the fire reacting to the sacrifice of the professor. 

More students gave their offerings to the fire, not all of them saying their reasons aloud. Draco Malfoy threw in fennel, hoping to be worthy of the praise of his father. When it was Professor Snape’s turn, he again met her eyes from where he stood. 

“I give rosemary in remembrance of a friend and in loyalty to her.” He said aloud, and his rosemary arced through the air before landing in the flames. 

When it was Holly’s turn, she nervously cleared her throat. “I give mugwort in the hopes that I am protected in this world that is new to me.” She tossed the mugwort into the fire and her heart rate slowly calmed down now that her turn was over. She listened as Lavender gave rosehips in the hope of finding love and Parvati gave yarrow for inspiration. 

When everyone had offered what they brought the professor ended with another blessing to the gods and goddesses, thanking them. Afterward, the students and professors headed towards the large wooden table that had been set up for their feast. Traditional dishes made with corn, squash, and pumpkins sat on the table next to jugs of cider and of pumpkin juice. Holly’s mouth watered at the sight since they had all skipped dinner in preparation for the feast. Until two in the morning they ate and laughed together, welcoming in the new year. When they got up to go back to the castle, Holly found herself walking slightly in front of Professor Snape. She slowed down until her pace matched his as they walked quietly back up the castle. 

“I was surprised to see you here.” He said in his deep voice. “The Potters have always been a very light family and avoided anything that the Ministry called dark.” 

“Well, sir,” Holly said, defensively, “I never knew the Potters and I just want to learn as much as I can about the Wizarding World.”

“Indeed.” He drawled from beside her. “It is an admirable quest.”

Holly smiled and responded, “I hope so sir.” 

They reached the Entrance Hall where Parvati and Lavender were waiting for her on the staircase up to Gryffindor tower. She turned to walk up the stairs, but her progress was halted when she heard his quiet voice from below her.

“I took your mother to her first Mabon celebration when we were students. She gave mugwort as well.” He said quietly. 

Holly felt a warmth in her limbs from this tidbit and she looked at him gratefully. “Thank you for telling me, sir. And thank you for the flowers.” 

Professor Snape almost looked awkward, clearly not knowing what to do with her gratitude. “Yes. Well. See that you get to bed, you have classes in the morning.” And with that, he turned towards the dungeons, robes flying behind him. 

Holly smiled to herself and turned to join her friends as they walked back to the tower, her insides filled with a happy glow.


	5. A Troll on Samhain

After Mabon, Severus was even more determined to protect Lily’s child. She had asked for protection during the celebration and he would be sure to fulfill the vow he made to Albus all of those years ago. 

And Morgana had it been shocking to see her there, face lit by the bonfire. He had never expected the daughter of James Potter to come to one of the celebrations, not when he had disparaged the so-called dark rituals anytime he could in school. But Holly had seemed at home in the clearing, like the plants were breathing new life into her. Severus wondered where she was getting this knowledge from, who was telling her about the holidays, about their traditions? Would they continue to teach her? 

He wondered if she would celebrate Samhain as well, if anyone had told her how to celebrate the entrance of the darker half of the year and reach out to her dead.

On Samhain, she seemed happy with her friends at breakfast. Albus had of course decorated the hall more in the muggle tradition of Halloween. He had never talked about his beliefs with Albus, but it was clear that the Headmaster was trying to be welcoming to muggleborns and to demonstrate to the Ministry that they did not celebrate the old ways here. 

At dinner that night he watched his snakes follow the tradition of setting aside half their plates for the spirits that came visiting. A few other students did as well in the other houses. He looked towards the Gryffindor table and his eyes fell on Holly and her friends. Holly and her two other first-year friends had also set aside food on their plates for their ancestors. Her hair was braided, as were her friends’, and tied with a black ribbon at the end to show spirits that they were welcome. Severus remembered his mother doing the same when he was a boy. 

They would stay up late after his father had drunk himself into a stupor, and they would light the hearth fire together. His mother always had her hair tied back in a braid; a black ribbon woven in the strands. Together they would create a small altar for the dead of whatever they could spare that year. Those were some of the fondest memories of his childhood, just him and his mother and the magic of Samhain and of their ancestors. 

As he was caught up in his thoughts, he jumped a bit when the doors to the Great Hall slammed open and that incompetent fool Quirrell practically ran up the aisle between the tables shouting “Troll – in the dungeons – thought you ought to know.” And with that, he collapsed, but now before Severus saw the flicker of a smirk cross his face. His blood ran cold as he realized that Quirrell had probably let the troll into the school and he must be the one trying to get to the stone. While all of this was going through his mind, Albus had corralled the screaming students and directed them back to their common rooms. As the students quickly left the hall, Severus caught Albus’s eye and with a nod, flew down towards the doors to head towards the third-floor corridor. He did not get far before he heard his name being yelled.

“Professor Snape! Professor Snape wait!” a girl called. 

He spun around intending to berate whoever had stopped him when he saw Holly, big green eyes desperately looking at him and caught himself before his replay was too horrible. “Why, Potter, are you not on your way to your common room?” he asked in a dangerous voice that usually had first years backing away in fear. 

Holly seemed to lack self-preservation like Albus did. “It’s Hermione, sir, she’s in the girl’s bathroom and she doesn’t know about the troll! We have to go warn her!” 

Severus groaned internally as he realized he would need to go save another errant first year. He looked up from Holly’s hopeful face and realized the rest of the students had already left to go to their common rooms and there was no way he was going to let Potter wander around alone with a troll in the castle. “Come, Potter. Where is she?” he asked. 

Holly sighed in relief that he would help her, and she started to lead him towards the bathroom where the girl was apparently hiding. When they got there, he decided to wait outside as Holly went in to get her year mate. When she disappeared into the bathroom, he smelt something that made his heart rate quicken in fear and he prayed that the girls would stay in the bathroom behind him. The troll turned the corner into the hallway he was standing in, its grey body swaying with the force of its stride. It smelt him almost instantly and turned towards where he was standing. He threw a quick locking charm at the door behind him to prevent his students from coming out into the hallway and turned to face the troll. 

Trolls were very resistant to any type of magic and the only truly vulnerable place on their bodies were the eyes. Severus was not confident enough to think he could aim that well in the heat of the moment and tried to quickly come up with a plan to get both himself and the girls out of this hallway alive. He had an idea and he knew Albus would hate him for it because it was technically dark magic, but he would rather the Headmaster give him a thousand disappointed looks than let anything happen to two students, one of them Lily’s. 

He let his magic gather in his blood, race towards his hand holding his wand, let the power wash over him before letting go with an _“obstupefy.”_ The spell was similar to its counterpart, the stunning spell, but it was classified as dark because it physically paralyzed the victim and required a huge amount of power to do so. The spell flew towards the troll hitting it dead on and causing it to wobble before crashing to the floor, muscles seized up into paralysis. Severus staggered with the power he had just expended, holding himself up against the wall and breathing in the relief that _she was okay Holly was okay he had not failed Lily she was okay._ He heard Albus enter the hallway with Minerva and Quirrell where they all stopped at the sight in front of them. 

Albus sucked in a breath and said “Severus, what have you done?” while Quirrell looked to be about a moment away from fainting. 

“Headmaster,” he replied, vision going black around the edges, “the troll is gone. There are students in the bathroom behind me.” 

After that, it was a blur. He was carted off to the Hospital Wing, Minerva grasping him under the arms to hold him upright and _where had she been hiding this strength._ He was vaguely aware of Holly and Granger being escorted there as well since Granger looked like she was hyperventilating. He was settled on a bed where Poppy berated him for overextending himself and told him not to expect to leave the hospital tonight and so on. He let himself drift into his exhaustion. 

He was woken sometime later that night. The Hospital Wing was dark, and he could see Granger sleeping in a bed across the aisle. But where was Potter? He heard a shuffling noise next to him before he could work himself up into a state and he turned to see Holly sitting on the bed next to him, a bag in her lap. When she saw him awake, she looked nervous. 

“Hello, Professor, how are you feeling?” she asked. 

“I’ve been better.” He answered, hoarsely. He watched as she nervously twisted her fingers in the strap of her bag. Her hair was still braided from earlier but small hairs had twisted free and fell into her face, which she brushed behind her ears impatiently. 

“I was going to celebrate on my own tonight but we’re both here and I thought- thought maybe you’ d like to join me? I mean you don’t have to but we’re both here and –“ 

Severus stopped her babbling. “Yes, Miss Potter, I presume you are talking about your Samhain celebration?”

She nodded in response. Severus heaved himself up to lean on his pillows, reaching for his wand on the nightstand next to him. He waved it in a circle, setting up a privacy ward for him and Potter. He did not want Albus to come in and believe he was corrupting his golden girl. 

Holly brightened visibly and reached into her bag. She pulled out two candles, one black, and one white along with apples, roasted nuts, rosemary, and oak leaves. Severus cleared the nightstand next to him and together they set up the candles in the center and surrounded them with the offerings she had brought. Apples were given as food for hungry spirits, roasted nuts to promote their resurrection, rosemary for remembrance of their ancestors, and oak leaves to give them strength. Severus used a small amount of wandless magic to light the white candle – a candle to bring about peace now that the harvest was over. Holly rested the tip of her wand on the wick of the black candle to light it, a candle for the spirits to know they were welcome. The flames flickered and danced between them and Severus felt the magic center around them. 

Holly looked to him and he understood her unspoken request. He cleared his throat and spoke the words that his mother had taught him when he was a boy. “On this night, Samhain, we call to the spirits of our ancestors. May they hear our call and bless us with their presence. May the gods and goddesses protect us and give us their blessing in this and all of our endeavors.” 

They both fell quiet, watching the flames flicker on the candles of their makeshift altar. Severus felt the air around them become heavy and he smelt sandalwood and ivory soap, how his mother used to smell. He felt the brush of magic on his cheek, the scent lingering, and let a smile cross his face. However, he also felt something he had not felt in years. Lily’s presence. Her jasmine scent permeated the air and he felt his throat tighten with emotion that Lily’s spirit was here she has not forgotten me. 

He looked away from the flame to see Holly, face relaxed as she no doubt felt the presence of her parents. Their eyes met across the altar and he felt as he did when he taught his godson Draco something, pride, and fondness. The magic seemed to flock to her, and her eyes glowed with the reflection of the candles. They sat in the presence of their loved ones for hours? Months? Years? Finally, the magic melted away with the last of the spirits' presence, and Severus ended the ritual. 

“We thank you for blessing us with your presence. May you rest in peace in the otherworld and someday we will meet again.” He said quietly. 

Holly and he both extinguished a candle by blowing on it gently and when he looked up, Holly smiled at him _smiled at him no one smiled at him like that not since he lost his best friend_ and he felt an answering smile reach his lips. “Thank you.” he said, and Holly just nodded and smiled like she understood perfectly what he was trying to express. 

Xxx 

The next morning when Severus got dressed and prepared to leave the Hospital Wing, he felt something in the pocket of his cloak. He pulled it out and stared at the object in the palm of his hand. In a small linen sachet that he opened to peer into, were gingko leaves and chamomile flowers. Gingko was commonly used to help to heal exhaustion in anti-fatigue potions and chamomile was usually used for anti-anxiety, relaxation, and general healing. There was not a doubt in his mind who had slipped this into his pocket, and he felt a smile pulling at his lips as he walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast.


	6. Reaching out at Yule

All of Holly’s Gryffindor girlfriends were going home for the holidays. The Weasley boys were staying but she still felt rather lonely without the friends she had made lately and was moping a bit. She was in a corner of the library and reading a book on magical history from the last century. She sat in a comfortable armchair by a window that overlooked the grounds, her feet curled up on the seat below her, and her shoes in front of her chair. Madame Pince seemed to like her ever since she had hit it off with Hermione after Samhain. She started to come to the library frequently with Hermione and had thus proven she could be trusted around the books. However, she kept getting distracted from her reading. Outside, the Hogwarts grounds were blanketed in white snow. She could see Hagrid in the distance, going into the forest to no doubt take care of his creatures with his dog, Fang, nipping at his heels. She should go visit Hagrid again soon, she thought. Her breath fogged up the window a bit when she breathed out and she used her finger to draw swirls on the glass.

It wasn’t that Holly minded spending time with the Weasley twins - ever since she joined the Quidditch team she had spent more time with them, and they had learned not to prank her or they would suddenly discover all of their socks to be full of itching powder that she got from Angelina. But she wished she had somewhere to go for the holidays. She felt at home at Hogwarts, but it still wasn’t the same as being able to go home with family. Well, she imagined it wasn’t at least. 

Xxx

Severus sat in his rooms in front of the fire, and for the first time in years, he actually felt regret that he did not have anywhere to be for the holidays. Of course, he was invited to Malfoy Manor to see his godson, but he liked to limit the time he had to spend around Lucius and always tried to find a way out of it. The staff usually had a party where they exchanged gifts, thank you Albus, but that was only for one night of the break. He had thought he was happy with his lonely life as the Hogwarts Potions Master, but he had forgotten what it was like to share the holiday celebrations with someone, and Holly had brought that need back full force. 

But he wasn’t her father or any type of blood relative and there was no reason for him to ask her to celebrate Yule with him. He didn’t even know her that well. But Lily had come to him at Samhain while she was there…maybe Lily wanted him to reach out to Holly? But why would Lily want him anywhere near her daughter after he had insulted her and betrayed her? 

He knew he was brooding but he couldn’t help it. His gaze fell on the coffee table where the lilies had been but was now empty. He most definitely had not pressed one of the flowers into the back of his potions journal, sticking it to a page that he could glance at on particularly terrible days. That would be ridiculous. 

Maybe he should send Holly a Yule gift. He didn’t have to say who it was from; she would know. And none of the other death eater children would know that he was friendly with the girl-who-lived. He loathed having to play the role of a bitter death eater, waiting for his master’s return, and he could only barely bring himself to outright ignore Holly. It hit too close to home to lash out at a child with _those_ eyes. 

Feeling better now that he had a possible course of action, Severus lifted himself from his comfortable chair and headed to his private lab. He opened drawers and cupboards, finding the ingredients he was looking for, which he took to his kitchen table. Before starting, he scrubbed the table without magic. He then gathered a bundle of juniper, lighting one end and passing it over his table. Juniper was typically used in purification rituals, but it could also be used to clear a space and prepare it for another use like he was doing. Once that was done, he laid a clean blue – _peace and protection_ \- linen cloth down on the wood. He filled the cloth with cedar chips for courage in facing new challenges, an acorn for strength and luck, and dried honeysuckle blooms to show a certain amount of affection. He tied the created sachet with a piece of green twine and finished it off with a sprig of holly that he let draw a drop of blood from his index finger, binding the magic of the sachet. 

He examined his work when he was done before thinking of one last item to add. In a box in his closet, he had tucked a few pictures of his childhood with his mother and Lily. He took the box down from the top shelf, brushing the lid with his hand to get rid of dust. He sat on the edge of his bed, bracing himself before lifting the top. He tried not to get too distracted by the memories inside the box and instead searched for the photograph he was looking for quickly.

A picture of a smiling Lily by the lake at Hogwarts, around age thirteen. He dug through the box for a blank sheet of the paper used for wizarding photographs and duplicated it. He would ask Tilly to pop the photograph and sachet to Holly’s dorm and hopefully, she would like it. She could use as much protection as she could get after that first Quidditch game. It was clear that Quirrell was up to something, but Severus would rather cut off his own hand before he let that clearly Dark-Lord-serving idiot lay a hand on Holly. 

When Severus woke up the morning of Yule, having lit his own Yule log last night and followed his own traditions, he was surprised to see a gift on his coffee table. All of the teachers had already exchanged tokens at the staff party and usually, the Malfoys forced him to come to their home and have dinner before they exchanged gifts. 

He approached the table, casting detection charms over the package to check for anything malignant, but the results came up false. He lifted the lid on the box that was sitting there and was stunned by what he saw. A small wreath of holly and a white candle lay inside. The wreath of holly was used as a protection and when placed around the lit candle would help to repel any negative energies that could cling to a witch or wizard. Severus let a small smile grace his lips as he looked at the gift, feeling the tension that was in his shoulders relax at the sign that Holly would probably appreciate his offering to her as well.


	7. Neville

Holly now had a large collection of friends, which she was still rather in awe about. She had grown up with her relatives telling everyone in the neighborhood that she was a delinquent and Dudley scaring off anyone who tried to be nice to her at school. She was still rather hesitant about being the first to reach out to someone. Which was why she was currently curled up in an armchair in the common room and stealing looks at Neville Longbottom from across the room. She could see from her chair that he was reading a book called _The Magic of Plants._

She blew her new bangs off of her forehead impatiently – Lavender had come back to Hogwarts from the holidays with scissors and muggle magazines full of actresses with feathered bangs, knowing that Holly would love a hairstyle that covered her scar. She was currently arguing with herself about whether to approach Neville and strike up a conversation. Neville reminded her of herself in primary school – shy and lonely and reading about plants. 

_Ugh are you a Gryffindor or not Holly_ , she berated herself. She got up from her chair, slipping her socked feet back into her black oxfords. It was rather late at night and the only other students in the common room beside her and Neville were older. She walked over to the sofa that Neville was sitting on and asked, “Hi Neville, can I sit here?”

Neville looked up, startled to hear her voice, and said “O-of course.” He scooted over even closer to the arm of the sofa when she sat down. 

“So, I noticed the book you were reading, and I wanted to know if it was any good. I’ve always been interested in flowers and other plants and their uses and meanings, but I am not really familiar with all of the magical plants yet.” Holly said. 

Neville’s whole face lit up at the mention of plants “Yeah it’s really good! I have even better books at home. I’ve always loved plants. Have you seen the greenhouses the OWL and NEWT students use? I-“, he cut himself off blushing. “Sorry, H-holly I didn’t mean to ramble.”

Holly smiled, “No, it’s okay Neville I wanted to know. Do you want to show me sometime? I’d love to see more magical plants.”

Neville shot her a shy smile and nodded. “Y-yeah. Yes. I can show you.”

“Alright,” Holly responded, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Neville, I’m gonna get some sleep now.” She said, standing up from the sofa and brushing the material of her skirt down. 

“Night Holly,” Neville said, still smiling. 

Xxx

A few days later, on Saturday, Neville approached Holly at the Gryffindor table where she was eating breakfast with Katie. “H-hi Holly. Do you want t-to see the greenhouse today?”

“Yeah!” she said enthusiastically, shoving the last bite of her muffin into her mouth. “Let’s go!” Holly was glad she had brought her cloak with her since she had plans of visiting Hagrid this morning. She swung the black cloak over her shoulders as she followed Neville out of the Great Hall. “So how did you get so interested in plants?” she asked him. 

“W-well we have a greenhouse at home. I spent a lot of time out there for the last c-couple of years. M-my relatives didn’t believe I had magic so I used to go out to be alone and visit the plants.” Neville said, blushing. 

Holly felt a pang of sympathy inside her chest when she heard this. She had heard him talk about his Uncle Algie throwing him out a window at the Welcoming Feast, but she was starting to see the full picture now. “I understand. My relatives liked to pretend I didn’t have magic, so I used to go to the library to be alone.” Holly responded. 

Neville’s shoulders relaxed infinitesimally at her words and they continued the rest of the walk to the greenhouses in comfortable silence. When they reached them, Neville led Holly to one of the smaller buildings. He pushed open the door and stepped aside to hold it open for Holly, who looked around in amazement. 

“This is incredible.” She breathed and glanced at Neville, smiling. 

Neville blushed again. “Yeah, I love it in here too.” He said without stuttering. 

Holly started to walk the worn stone paths through the building that was definitely larger than it looked to be on the outside. The wooden tables were full of magical and mundane plants. Some plants reached their leaves out to her as she passed them, their branches brushing against her cloak and making her laugh. She reached out a finger to a particularly friendly fluxweed plant, whose purple flowers shone brightly. The leaves of the fluxweed happily encircled her finger and she could feel her magic brushing back against it. She looked back at Neville, smiling happily, to find him looking very shocked at her actions. 

“Y-you have an affinity for plants like I do, Holly. They d-don’t reach out to everyone like that.” He told her. 

Holly looked back at the little plant, surprised. “I guess I knew that. I’ve always been drawn to plants and gardens. I understand them I suppose.”

“I feel the same way,” Neville told her. He reached out and brushed a fluxweed leaf with one of his fingers too. It curled happily around him. He looked back down at Holly, grinning, to which she grinned back at him. It was the first of many trips to the greenhouses for the two of them.


	8. Life Goes On

* _Flashback*_

_Holly and Hermione were visiting Hagrid after Holly’s first Quidditch game. They all sat at his wooden tables with giant mugs of tea in front of them, which was warming her fingers after the cold November game._

_“It was Snape, Holly, he was cursing your broom!” Hermione said._

_“Rubbish,” said Hagrid, “Why would Snape do somethin’ like that?”_

_“I agree with Hagrid, Hermione,” Holly added in, “I don’t think Snape would do anything to hurt me.”_

_Hermione looked dubious at this. “Then why was he muttering a curse?”_

_“Couldn’t he have been muttering a counter-curse as well?”_

_Hermione blinked. “I hadn’t thought of that.”_

_*End flashback*_

Of course, this left Holly with the question of who _had_ been cursing her broom. It had to at least be one of the older students or a teacher…but what teacher would try to curse her? She really doubted it was Snape since he had been nice to her and had even sent her a yule gift! It just didn’t make any sense.

Holly mulled over this problem throughout her days, going from class to class. She spent time with the twins, who were becoming like lovable and very mischievous older brothers. She also hung out with the other girls on the Quidditch team even when they weren’t at practice. They helped her with her homework and taught her things about the magical world during the cold winter nights as they all studied by the fire in the common room.

Holly also went to the greenhouse whenever she could with Neville. They studied together sometimes, on a bench in the back of the greenhouse where no one ever looked for them. Neville was slowly coming out of his shell around Holly, which she was very happy about.

She also spent time with her roommates – Lavender, Parvati, and Hermione. The time she spent with Hermione was usually in the library where they studied together. Currently, she was sitting cross-legged on her bed with Lavender and Parvati and they were making Brigid’s crosses for Imbolc. The tradition came from the honoring of Brigid, a Gaelic goddess of fertility, healing, and representing the onset of spring. The crosses were made to hang over doors to welcome Brigid and protect the occupants against fire, lightning, illness, and evil spirits. Imbolc or, Brigid’s day, was the first of February and represented the onset of spring. The crosses were made by women and girls to protect their homes for the rest of the year. Ideally, they would all go to a holy well and walk around it sunwise to promote healing for the year, but they could not leave the castle. It would be obvious where they were going.

As Holly twisted the reeds into a cross shape, she let a little of her magic feed into it. The magic of Imbolc would bolster it as well. It would not be as effective as an actual ward since it was a physically weak anchor, but it would be better than nothing since it would slow someone down before they took it apart. She was very worried since that curse on her broom even though nothing else had happened. She would at least like a little warning if someone attacked her at night. She had asked Professor Snape about it…

_*Flashback*_

_Holly was walking to the library on the Saturday after her first Quidditch game. Hermione was already there but Holly had wanted to sleep in a little bit more before studying. She was still upset that there had been no clues about who had hexed her broom. What if they tried again? She wished she had a parent she could write to…_

_Well, she did have someone she could approach. She would just have to gather a bunch of courage before doing it. She turned from the hallway leading to the library and started walking down stairways towards the dungeons, encouraging herself to keep going as she went. When she got to his office door, she took a deep breath before knocking._

_“Enter” she heard Snape say from inside._

_Holly pushed the door open slowly before edging herself into the cold room. Professor Snape sat at his desk grading essays, a pair of reading glasses perched on his large nose. He glanced up when she walked closer. “To what do I owe the honor of your presence on a Saturday morning, Miss Potter?”_

_“Sir…I wanted to ask…if you knew anything about who cursed my broom last week…it’s just that no one has said anything to me about it and I was wondering if the culprit was ever caught…” she trailed off when Snape stared at her with an odd look._

_Snape cocked an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair and taking off his reading glasses and placing them lightly on top of the essays he was grading. “Why are you coming to me about this Miss Potter? Why not your head of house?”_

_“I’ve never really talked to Professor McGonagall before…and I thought since… Samhain… and my friend saw you casting something at the game…”_

_“I can assure you it was not me Miss Potter. Would this friend be the one who caused my robes to catch on fire?”_

_Holly was horrified. “She set your ROBES on fire?”_

_“Ah, I can see you didn’t know that part. In any case, no, the Headmaster has assured me he is looking into it, but he has not told me anything else.” Snape said._

_Holly looked at him shrewdly. “But you have a hunch of who it was don’t you.”_

_Snape’s eyebrow went back up. “I may.”_

_“Am I still in danger, sir?”_

_“I will do my best to protect you, Miss Potter. I and the other teachers will be on our guard and watch over you as best we can. I am going to be refereeing the next match.”_

_“Oh, the twins will be delighted,” she teased him with a smile. Snape’s lips twitched back before he tried to look disapproving. Holly just laughed a little and thanked him before going to the library._

_*End flashback*_

It was now almost February, and no one had told her anything else. Maybe they were just trying to protect her? Or maybe they really didn’t know who did it…Holly wasn’t sure which was more concerning.


End file.
